The Chinese military carried out what it called “routine patrols” in the South China Sea on Wednesday after the United States and its allies held war games in the contested waters.
Newsweek has contacted the Pentagon and the Philippine military for comment by email.
Why It Matters
China has long claimed sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, claims that overlap with those of neighboring nations, including the Philippines, America’s treaty ally. The Philippines has for more than a month been trying to keep Chinese coast guard vessels from nearing Zambales, a province off the heavily populated Philippine island of Luzon.
The U.S. military has conducted several joint training exercises and drills in the South China Sea this month with regional and non-regional allied nations such as the Philippines, Australia and Japan, mobilizing bombers on February 4 and its navy the following day.
Wang Guoyun/Chinese military
What To Know
The Chinese military’s Southern Theater Command spokesperson Tian Junli, who announced the patrols, claimed that China has “indisputable” territorial sovereignty and maritime interests in the South China Sea, which have “ample” historical and legal backing, and cannot be violated.
In the past, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has stated that China has “historic rights” in the South China Sea, as it was the first to discover the waters. However, an international tribunal’s 2016 ruling dismissed the sovereignty claims as having no legal basis.
Tian also accused Manila of repeatedly inviting countries outside the South China Sea area for joint patrols, attempting to “cover up” its infringement on Beijing’s maritime rights, as well as its undermining of peace and stability in the region.
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines announced that it would conduct a naval drill, formally known as “Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity,” on Wednesday with U.S. and Canadian forces within the Philippine 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.
This came after two destroyers and an offshore patrol vessel from the U.S., Australia and the United Kingdom respectively executed a series of combined exercises and operations in the South China Sea from February 6 to 7, which was announced by the U.S. Navy on Tuesday.
Additionally, the U.S. Navy carried out a bilateral exercise involving two destroyers with its Japanese counterpart in the region from Sunday to Monday, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force announced on Wednesday.
What People Are Saying
Tian Junli, spokesperson for the Chinese military Southern Theater Command, said in a statement: “The [People’s Liberation Army] Southern Theater Command remains on high alert and fully committed to defending China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, ensuring that any disruptive military actions in the South China Sea are under control.”
The U.S. Navy said in a press release: “The U.S. Navy regularly operates alongside our allies in the Indo-Pacific region as a demonstration of our shared commitment to upholding international law.”
The Armed Forces of the Philippines said in a statement: “This [Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity] underscores our collective commitment to safeguarding the right to freedom of navigation, lawful use of the sea and international airspace, and honoring maritime rights under international law, as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”
What Happens Next
The U.S. and its allies, as well as China, are likely to continue their military activities in the South China Sea as the territorial and maritime disputes show no signs of being resolved.